Shloka 5
Karṇa-nidhana-śravaṇa, Kṣaya-Varṇana, and Śeṣa-sainika-nirdeśa
Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall, Accounting of Losses, and Naming of Remaining Warriors
राजानं च समासाद्य गान्धारी भरतर्षभ । निःसंज्ञा पतिता भूमौ सर्वाण्यन्त:पुराणि च,भरतभूषण! गान्धारी देवी राजा धृतराष्ट्रके समीप आकर बेहोश हो भूमिपर गिर गयीं। अन्तःपुरकी सारी स्त्रियोंकी यही दशा हुई
rājānaṃ ca samāsādya gāndhārī bharatarṣabha | niḥsaṃjñā patitā bhūmau sarvāṇy antaḥpurāṇi ca ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, lorsque Gāndhārī s’approcha du roi, elle tomba à terre, évanouie ; et toutes les femmes du gynécée connurent le même sort. Le vers souligne combien le choc des conséquences de la guerre submerge jusqu’à la maison royale, révélant le prix humain qui suit l’adharma et la lutte fratricide.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitable human and moral fallout of destructive conflict: even those removed from the battlefield—like the royal women—are shattered by the consequences. It implicitly warns that adharma in public action (war driven by greed and hatred) produces suffering that spreads through the whole community.
Gāndhārī comes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and, overwhelmed by grief and shock, collapses unconscious. The women of the inner palace likewise faint, indicating a collective breakdown in the Kuru household as the calamities of the war reach them.